Tebow unlikely to play against Jacksonville on Sunday

New York Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow, center, appears on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. Tebow was not active because of a rib injury. The Jets won 7-6.

Jets coach Rex Ryan is expected to announce today which quarterback will start against the Jaguars Sunday.

But the word in New York is that it won’t be Tim Tebow, who will be making his second appearance in his hometown in the NFL Sunday with the Jets.

According to the New York Daily News, the choice is between going back to Mark Sanchez or starting Greg McElroy, who replaced Sanchez Sunday and guided the Jets to a 7-6 victory over Arizona.

The Daily News reports that Tebow, “who is dealing with two cracked ribs, doesn’t appear to be in the mix to start in Jacksonville.”

Apparently, owner Woody Johnson wants to go with McElroy while Rex and general manager Mike Tannenbaum prefer to stay with Sanchez.

It is uncertain whether Tebow won’t get the call because he is still recovering from the rib injuries which have sidelined him the last two games or whether the Jets have decided he is not an NFL caliber quarterback. It’s also uncertain whether Tebow will be active for the game.

The Jets traded for Tebow, who picked him over the Jaguars when both teams made similar offers to the Denver Broncos.

But he has played sparingly for the Jets even though Sanchez has struggled much of the year. He has thrown only seven passes, completing six for just 39 yards and has been sacked once, and ran 29 times for 87 yards, an average of only three yards per carry.

In his only previous appearance in Jacksonville as an NFL quarterback, Tebow ran twice for two yards in 2010 with the Broncos.

The Jets haven’t said whether Tebow is in their plans for next season.